THE DAVID HEARN BRAND

To inherit the title Most Successful Canadian Golfer Ever bestows on someone an honoured place in the annals of this country’s golf history. It also makes them a new benchmark.

That’s what Mike Weir is. The 2003 Masters champion is the reigning and undisputed barometer for this nation’s current and future generations of professionals. Want to attain a high standard for yourself? Paste Weir’s accomplishments on the wall of your bedroom the way Tiger Woods did with Jack Nicklaus’ career titles. Do so and not only does a player have a set of lofty goals with which to aspire but it conjures up a PGA Tour resume that compares favourably with recent inductees to the World Golf Hall of Fame. It will be interesting over time to see whether Weir is accorded that honour.

But as easy as it is to use Weir as a role model for his accomplishments on the golf course, it is equally impressive what he’s attained off of it. The Bright’s Grove, Ont., native, to put it bluntly, has been a business juggernaut. According to websites such as RichestCelebrities.org and celebrityworth123.com, his net worth pulls in at just over $20 million (US). Included in that figure are annual endorsement deals the lefty has with RBC, TaylorMade, Titleist, Booster Juice and Aleve. There is also his foundation initiative fuelled by the sales of Weir Wine. All of it puts the eight-time PGA Tour winner into a realm among the richest athletes in Canadian history.

That level of business success outside the ropes is not lost on at least one of the generational professionals for which Weir has helped blaze the trail.

“As good as he’s been as a player, Mike’s been a frontrunner in crafting a great brand,” said David Hearn during an interview last month. “What he’s done is help create great marketing relationships that weren’t there 20 to 30 years ago. To see what he’s done from a business standpoint, to see who he’s aligned with and the partnerships he has, for me, that’s something to look up to and model myself after.”